


All systems go, sun hasn't died

by EponineTheStrange (gallifreyandglowclouds)



Category: Doctor Who RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-07
Updated: 2013-06-07
Packaged: 2017-12-14 04:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/832914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallifreyandglowclouds/pseuds/EponineTheStrange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Matt tries to make Karen jealous, and she takes it to heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All systems go, sun hasn't died

Karen comes back to the UK, and the first thing she does is phone Matt. She misses him terribly, and she wants the alone time that they got together when they still worked with each other. 

So of course, because he’s an idiot, he invites her to a part. And because he’s an even bigger idiot, he ditches her in a room full of people she doesn’t know five minutes after they get there. 

She doesn’t really know what to do, so she stands there with a ridiculously brightly coloured drink in her hand and makes awkward small-talk with some guy from Cambridge. She’s going to make Matt pay for this in some subtle way later. 

She has to go to the bathroom, and because the house that they’re in is freaking palatial she has the hardest time finding it. What’s the point of having such a huge place if you’re only going to have one bathroom? 

Then she rounds a corner and sees Matt. And he’s snogging… no one she would know from a first glance, but still. Holy moly. He does have a thing for short-ish brunettes. 

She is actually going to murder him. Though that’s probably not fair, because she hasn’t told him about the crush on him she’s been nurturing and she can’t expect him to magically interpret her feelings. Doesn’t mean she’s happy about it, though. 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Matt,” she says, a bit louder than intended. 

He and the girl stop and both look at Karen. The girl looks mortified, but Matt just raises one eyebrow as if he’s daring Karen to do something. 

So Karen does. She runs away and out of the house.

She’s a couple blocks away from the party when she realises a) that she left her coat there and b) that Matt is following her, holding on to it.

She lets Matt catch up to her, snatches the coat out of his hands, and slaps him across the face before he can say anything.

“You. Are. An. Asshole. Of. Epic. Proportions.”

“Kazza, let me explain -“

“No,” she yells, and Matt looks around furtively to see if anyone’s listening. “What the fuck, Matt? Trying to prove that you moved on? Trying to tell me that you don’t need me? You could have just taken me out for coffee and told me that you had a girlfriend,  _but no_ , you had to let me find out in the worst possible way. You know what Matt? Screw you.” She’s so mad she loses the ability to talk after that sentence. 

“Karen, I’m really sorry -” and maybe she sees a glimmer of genuine regret on his face but she doesn’t really care. 

“Oh, save it.” She turns from him and storms away.

When she gets back to the hotel, she contemplates raiding the minibar, but she breaks down and cries instead. 

* * *

She sleeps in until almost noon, and when she wakes up, she has several texts from Matt 

_Karen, I was a dick to you last night_

_What I did was pretty much unforgivable_

_I had this crazy idea that if I could make you jealous enough, you might come back_

_Because I miss you and I want to be in your life_

_Like in a major way_

_But I’m an idiot and i’ve probably screwed it up_

_But please call me so we can talk_

_I’m really, really sorry_

The spiteful person in her wants to tell him to fuck off and die in a hole, but the rest of her just sighs and goes back to sleep. 

She wakes up again around two in the afternoon, and texts Matt

_Can I come over?_

She hears back from him almost immediately

_Yeah, I’m at my flat now_

* * *

She prepares speeches in her mind, and intelligent and well-reasoned things that she could say to him, but all that disappears rather quickly when he opens the door and she can see the bags under his eyes and realises that he probably didn’t sleep the night before. 

Serves him right, part of her thinks, but the other part of her feels bad. 

She sits down in the armchair in his living room, and he sits down on the couch. 

“I’m sorry, and I’m a massive idiot,” he says. 

“So you were just trying to make me jealous?” she asks, quietly. 

He nods, and then massages his temples and closes his eyes. 

“It worked.” 

He looks up at her suddenly.

“I guess I just threw myself in to the stuff in LA because I missed you so much, and I wanted to forget about what I was leaving behind in the UK, which is why I haven’t been in touch.” 

“What did you leave behind, Kaz?” They’re back to pet names now, which is probably good. 

“You, mostly.” 

He looks shocked. 

She shrugs, and looks down at the carpet. “Why do you think that I’m so invested in whom you’re snogging?”  

The realisation dawns on him. “… oh.”

“You know, Matt, you could have just told me how you felt, eh?” She attempts a smile. 

He nods. “Well, that seemed more difficult than the other option.” 

She gets up and sits beside him on the couch, and he takes the opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her against him .

It’s a sweet gesture. It’s sweeter when he kisses her. 

They’ll be okay, she’s sure of it. 


End file.
